


Hopeless situation

by Chopiano



Series: Palermo is bleeding [2]
Category: La casa de papel | Money Heist (TV)
Genre: (he's taking it very seriously), Addiction, Andrés is Martín's hero, Andrés is Martín's nurse, Angst, Blood, Crying, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hand Jobs, Happy Ending, Healing, Homophobic Language, Hurt/Comfort, Insults, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Major Character Injury, Martín is too weak for sex, Mild Sexual Content, Pain, Rescue, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Withdrawal, or isn't he???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:08:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26178490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chopiano/pseuds/Chopiano
Summary: "Andrés – please – stop it," sobbed Martín completely exhausted from the severe pain."Martín, I know it hurts a lot, but I have to keep trying.""Just leave me here – Andrés – please go – the police will be here soon.”“No, I will never leave you behind – I stay with you, no matter what," sobbed Andrés."I'm going to die" cried Martín but Andrés shook his head with tears in his eyes.Or: Martín and Andrés are madly in love and they are doing the heist on the Royal Mint together, whereby they fail miserably to obey Sergio's ‘no-relationship-no-sex-rule’. During the escape, Palermo gets seriously injured and Andrés tries desperately to save him.
Relationships: Berlin | Andrés de Fonollosa & Palermo | Martín Berrote, Berlin | Andrés de Fonollosa/Palermo | Martín Berrote
Series: Palermo is bleeding [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1901062
Comments: 30
Kudos: 114





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story begins a month after the first part but you should understand everything, even if you haven't read it yet. Enjoy!

It was the day before they had to go to the country house in Toledo; the first colorful flowers were already blooming in the garden of the monastery, where Andrés and Martín were sitting on a large blanket. Andrés leaned with his back against a tree trunk while Martín's head rested in his lap. He tenderly stroked Martín's hair with one hand, the other hand was tightly intertwined with Martín’s. They sat cuddled together in the garden, listening to the birds singing and simply enjoying their mutual presence. They were both extremely happy that after the horrible incident a month ago, everything had turned out fine again. The large scar on Martín's left forearm was still clearly visible, but it would fade slightly over time. Much more important was that the mental damage that Andrés had caused was also healing. Mutual trust was restored and they were both so much in love that their profound bond grew stronger every second.

Sergio absolutely needed Andrés to lead the heist on the Royal Mint of Spain, but Andrés couldn’t and didn’t want to leave Martín's side. Therefore, he made the condition that he would only join the heist if Martín could be there too. Sergio was very unhappy about this, but he agreed on the condition that the two had to pretend they didn't know each other and always would keep their distance. Andrés agreed, even though he knew that this would be almost impossible because he couldn’t keep his fingers away from Martín for more than 5 minutes… but it was better than not seeing him at all.

Martín understood that Andrés had to do the heist as a favor for his brother and he was glad that he was allowed to accompany him. Nevertheless, he was not comfortable with the thought of putting Andrés and himself in such great danger; now, that everything was finally as perfect as he had always dreamed of. He was very afraid that something would go wrong, and as an uneasy feeling spread through him, Martín sighed loudly.  
"Cariño, what’s wrong?" asked Andrés concerned, tightening the grip around Martín’s hand.  
“Berlin” he said slowly, pronouncing each letter clearly, “it just feels strange to call you that. I can’t pretend not knowing you, I can’t take it that long without feeling your lips on mine and I'm really afraid something will go wrong. You could die, Andrés " whispered Martín fearfully.  
Andrés sighed as well: “I know it will be incredibly difficult to keep distance and I wish Sergio hadn't made this stupid rule. But you know him… he only thinks rationally and he can't handle feelings at all. Everything has to go exactly according to his rules, otherwise he will go wild. But I think we can meet secretly sometimes without Sergio knowing about it. And don't worry, he planned everything perfectly and everything will go well." He pressed a loving kiss into Martín's hair.  
"And besides, we still have the rest of the day and the whole night to do undisturbed everything that we can no longer do in the next few months," said Andrés with a mischievous grin.  
Martín sat up and kissed him passionately and for the remaining time, all his worries were forgotten.

///////

When they arrived in Toledo, Andrés and Martín had to concentrate so hard not to accidentally say their real names and it was barely possible for them to keep their distance, because no matter how hard they tried, in the end they always stood next to each other and shared tender touches. It was as if they were two magnets that always attracted each other. But it seemed as if the others didn't recognize the loving glances they kept giving each other. The Professor was the only one who sometimes gave them an annoyed look.  
The house was rather small for such a large group; two people always had to share a room with two single beds.  
"Nobody is allowed to sleep in another room or bed, especially not with another person! The following two people are always in the same room: Tokyo and Nairobi, Denver and Rio, Helsinki and Oslo, Moscow and Palermo, and finally Berlin and I" announced the Professor. Berlin and Palermo looked at the Professor in horror. It was an insolence that he hadn't put them in the same room… but the Professor wasn’t stupid, he knew that otherwise they wouldn’t obey his ‘no-relationship-no-sex-rule’.  
"Palermo, aren’t you satisfied?" asked Tokyo mockingly because she clearly recognized the angry look on Palermo's face.  
"It's okay," he said through gritted teeth, piercing the Professor with murderous eyes.

To make matters worse, it was hardly possible for the two to meet secretly. During the day, they always had lessons and practice sessions and they always had to stay in the group from the early morning until the late evening. They weren't alone for a single second and they could hardly separate from the group because otherwise, it would have been very suspicious. And in the evenings, Berlin couldn't sneak away because the Professor would have noticed it immediately.  
So, it happened that only after a whole week, the first opportunity arose to kiss deeply for a few seconds while they were standing alone in the kitchen.  
"I can't take it any longer," whimpered Martín longingly.  
"I miss you too," whispered Andrés and kissed him eagerly before they heard footsteps approaching and parted reluctantly.

Palermo's mood was correspondingly bad and it got worse and worse; without Berlin’s closeness, he felt empty. His anger towards the Professor grew day by day because he kept Berlin away from him. That's why he got offended and angry very quickly and he was very rude to the gang. During dinner he was extremely silent, just staring at everyone with a hateful look.  
“Palermo, why don't you ever wear a t-shirt? It's very hot here… Didn't your mom pack the right clothes for you? " asked Tokyo mockingly and everyone at the table laughed, except Berlin and the Professor. Palermo winced as painful memories were going through his head. Berlin gave him a sad look because he knew that Palermo just wanted to hide the long scar on his left forearm; he didn't want the others to ask uncomfortable questions about it.  
"It's none of your fucking business, you stupid bitch," he replied aggressively.  
“WTF Palermo, why are you in such a bad mood? You’re just full of hate; didn't your parents teach you how to treat each other with respect? Fucking sudaca!”  
Palermo winced again, tears forming in his eyes; his childhood was another extremely painful memory. Berlin had enough, because nobody was allowed to insult his sweetheart like that and he was extremely sorry that he hadn’t intervened earlier.  
"Shut up Tokyo! If you say another stupid word to him, I swear to you, I'll kill you! " shouted Andrés.  
Tokyo looked puzzled.  
"Why do you take his side, he's a crazy bastard... Is he your boyfriend or something?" Tokyo asked mockingly not knowing that this was indeed the case.  
"No," he said hesitantly, and he recognized the pain that this statement caused in Palermo.  
“This asshole wouldn’t be worth your love anyway” shouted Tokyo.  
_‘No, he's not just my boyfriend, he's the love of my life and he’s worth more than you could ever imagine’_ he wanted to say, but Palermo already got up and was running to his room.  
Berlin wanted to beat Tokyo up, but he decided to immediately follow Palermo instead; Tokyo could be punished later.

///////

Martín was lying in his bed, pressing his face into the pillow so that no one could hear him crying. Andrés closed the door and sat down on the narrow bed. He gently caressed Martín's back with his hand.  
"I’m so sorry. Don’t listen to Tokyo, she just talks shit. I love you and I would have liked to tell everyone…” said Andrés bitterly.  
“But she's right – I'm a mean, unworthy piece of shit. Without you I go completely crazy, you're the only one who has ever seen anything good in me and I really don’t deserve you… ” sobbed Martín.  
"Shhh, calm down cariño. You’re the most wonderful and precious person I have ever met. I love you so much, words can’t even express how much!"  
Martín stopped crying and calmed down a little bit.  
"I love you too," said Martín quietly and he turned to Andrés to kiss him softly. Andrés gently ran his hand over Martín’s cheeks to wipe away his tears.  
“Come on, let's go to my room before the others return from the garden" said Andrés, taking Martín's hand and leading him to his and Sergio's room. Once there, he closed the door and pushed a chair under the door handle, so that no one could disturb them for the next few hours.  
"What about Sergio?" asked Martín hesitantly.  
"I don't care, he can sleep on the sofa in the classroom ... I can't go any longer without you."  
They pushed the two beds together to have more space and they were laying there for a while, just hugging and kissing each other lovingly.  
Shortly before midnight, Sergio wanted to enter the room but to his dismay, he couldn’t. Martín and Andrés tensed up a little, afraid that he would completely freak out, but Sergio just waited a moment, mumbled some unintelligible words and eventually walked away. When they heard the footsteps receding, they relaxed again.  
"I think he got it," laughed Martín; his mood was already a lot better.

The cabinet clock struck midnight and Andrés kissed Martín affectionately.  
"Happy birthday, my love," he said and Martín looked at him in surprise. He had completely forgotten that it was his birthday; in his childhood his birthday was never celebrated and so it happened that he never celebrated it as an adult because he didn’t have fond memories of that day. Now he was extremely happy that Andrés hadn't forgotten it, despite all the preparation for the heist.  
"Thank you," he said joyfully. Andrés got up; he took an expensive bottle of wine from the cupboard and filled two glasses with it.  
"I have a little present for you," he said with a big grin as he waved a little wrapped present in front of his face.  
"Thank you – that – wouldn't have been necessary," he stammered and took the present in his hands, hastily unwrapping it. In the package was a silver watch in which a beautiful blue diamond was embedded. On the back was engraved: _For my soul mate. My love. Not even time can separate us._  
"It’s beautiful! – Thank you very much, I've never received such a beautiful gift, I don't deserve this masterpiece," he sobbed with joy and pulled Andrés into a tight hug.

"Of course you deserve it, you deserve even more" said Andrés lovingly. He gently took Martín's face in his hands and kissed the tears from his cheeks.  
"Do you still remember, when we met for the first time in Berlin for the jewelry robbery?"  
"Sure, I could never forget because it’s the most important moment of my life" said Martín honestly.  
“I sold all diamonds we had stolen, I only kept one. I thought it was the most beautiful diamond I had ever seen and I wanted to keep it so that I could give it to someone very special someday who really deserved it. And I never felt any of my wives were worth that diamond. I’m completely sure that you’re the only person in this world who deserves it, because you are the love of my life! Back then, I didn't know why I liked this diamond so much, but now I know. It reminds me of your eyes, which on some days shimmer just as beautifully as this precious diamond. And there is no better feeling than to lose myself in those wonderful eyes; the door to your beautiful, loving soul.»  
Martín had tears in his eyes because he was so touched by this confession of love and indeed, his eyes shimmered like the most precious and beautiful diamonds in the world.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you ..." Martín kept saying, embracing him tightly. The next kiss they shared was so passionate and full of love, like never before.  
“Please stay with me this night” whispered Martín and Andrés laughed when Martín clutched him tightly.  
“I’ve never considered leaving because I have another present for you, ” he said grinning mischievously, before he put his hands on the hem of his trousers and underpants and very slowly pulled them down at the same time.  
"Do you like my present?" he asked innocently.  
Martín nodded eagerly; his breathing stopped as he stared at Andrés large cock which was already as hard as his own. His dick twitched out of sheer anticipation.  
"We have to be quiet… can you be quiet?" Andrés asked provocatively as he took off Martín's sweater. He spread sweet kisses on his upper body, sucked and licked merciless on his neck and nipples and already now, Martín had to moan loudly.  
"Shhh…" laughed Andrés.  
"I can't help it that my body reacts so intensively to your touch,” Martín whimpered, hoping that Andrés would continue anyway. Martín put his hand around Andrés cock, slowly stroking it up and down; now it was Andrés who groaned loudly. Martín pressed his lips on Andrés mouth to stifle his sounds.  
They tried to be as quiet as possible, but failed miserably.  
The next day, everyone knew that they weren't strangers and clearly more than just friends.

///////

The heist went mostly as the Professor had planned. Although almost everyone made small mistakes, no major problems arose. A hostage was shot, a few hostages escaped, and nearly every day the gang argued over who would be the best leader. For example, one time, Tokyo was playing Russian roulette with Berlin and when Palermo found out about it, he beat her up and turned her over to the police, but to his disappointment she managed to return into the bank.  
However… they had printed around 2 billion euros and packed them in rolls for easier transportation. Most of the money had already been carried out through the tunnel. The chaos only started when the Professor suddenly shouted through the phone:  
“You have to get out immediately! They come in!"  
Palermo distributed the bulletproof vests and the group made their way to the tunnel, but they could hear that the police was already really close.

“I'm staying here and have your back. Go through the tunnel quickly and blow it up when you are through. I will use the emergency tunnel. " said Berlin. Of course, the Professor was prepared for any emergency; there existed a second, smaller tunnel with a different entrance and exit.  
"Berlin, are you sure?" asked Nairobi.  
"Yes! Come on, hurry up, " he said as an order.  
"I stay with you!" said Palermo in a firm voice and Berlin nodded. He knew that there was no point in arguing with him now because they had no time for that and Palermo would never leave him behind.  
So, the others ran through the tunnel and blew it up while Palermo and Berlin tried to keep the police away by shooting at them with a machine gun. They did that for a few minutes to give the others enough time to escape. Then they threw some grenades and smoke bombs at the police and ran around the corner as the bullets shot past them. They reached the emergency tunnel and ran as fast as they could, until they stopped at a small box and pressed a button to blow up the tunnel. They ran again as fast as they could to avoid being hit by the force of the explosion. Just as they reached the end of the tunnel, it collapsed, placing a protective layer of stones and rubble between them and the cops.

They were standing in a small bunker with diffuse light; breathing heavily, gasping for air. The adrenalin was still rushing through their bodies.  
"We did it" said Andrés happily. He put his arms around Martín's waist and kissed him affectionately.  
“That was damn close. We should get out of here immediately" said Martín and Andrés nodded in agreement. He gave him a loving smile, brushing away a sweaty strand of hair from Martín’s face. But Martín suddenly grabbed Andrés hand and looked at him with shocked eyes.  
"Andrés – you're bleeding" stuttered Martín and Andrés looked at his hand in shock. In fact, it was covered in blood, as was his other hand. He felt no pain, however, probably from the adrenaline. He looked down at himself, but he couldn't see a bleeding wound.  
A bullet had hit Andrés in the chest, but thanks to the bulletproof vest, the bullet hadn’t reached his body; it was definitely not his own blood on his hands.  
So, Andrés looked at Martín and his gaze stopped over his hip.  
"Martín ..." whispered Andrés in shock and Martín followed his gaze. A bullet had entered Martín’s right side above his hip and he was bleeding profusely. His overall was already soaked in blood and Andrés only had blood on his hands because he had held him by the waist during the kiss.  
Martín pressed his trembling hands to the entry wound, groaning loudly. The pain shot through his body from zero to a hundred. His legs gave away for a short moment because of the severe pain, but Andrés was able to catch him before he landed on the hard floor. He laid him gently on the ground and laid his head in his lap.

«Ughhh… Fuck" Martín cursed. "It hurts so much," he whimpered.  
"Fuck Martín, why aren't you wearing a bulletproof vest?" asked Andrés reproachfully.  
"There was one too few and I gave you the last one" he muttered in pain.  
"Ohh, cariño – let me see…" Andrés took off Martín’s overall and lifted his T-shirt. Martín groaned loudly when he turned him slightly to the side to see if the bullet went through him, but he couldn’t find an exit wound; the bullet got stuck somewhere inside of him.  
“Andrés, we have to go – I'm okay,” said Martín through gritted teeth but Andrés shook his head.  
"If we don't stop the bleeding somehow, you'll bleed to death before we even get to the boat. Press the overall firmly onto the wound, I'll be right back." Andrés stood up, looking for the first aid kit that was specially placed in the bunker for emergencies. 

On the other side, they could hear heavy machinery trying to move the stones out of the way.  
It would take them at least 30 minutes to get through the stone layer but nevertheless, the vibration of the machines caused some stones to come loose. Martín, who was laying right in front of the tunnel, got buried in rubble and dust; a stone smashed his left leg and pinched it. Martín cried out in pain and his vision went black for a moment.  
Andrés ran back to him and cursed loudly. He hastily removed all the stones from Martín's body and he tried with all his force to roll away the big stone that was pinning Martín’s leg, but it was too heavy; he couldn’t lift it.  
So, Andrés knelt beside Martín and slapped him gently on the cheek.  
"Martín, are you awake?" and indeed Martín opened his eyes and whimpered loudly.  
"My leg," he cried and Andrés gently stroked his hair.  
"Everything will be fine my darling! I'm here, don't worry! Soon, the pain will be less.” Andrés injected him with all the morphine that was available and put a tight bandage around the gunshot wound. At least the bleeding wound seemed to be under control for the moment. The only problem was that Martín was trapped and Andrés just couldn't push the heavy stone away. In the next ten minutes, every time he tried to move the stone, Martín yelled out loud in pain, nearly fainting again.  
"Andrés – please – stop it," sobbed Martín completely exhausted from the severe pain.  
"Martín, I know it hurts a lot, but I have to keep trying."  
"Just leave me here – Andrés – please go – the police will be here soon.”  
“No, I will never leave you behind – I stay with you, no matter what," sobbed Andrés.  
"I'm going to die" cried Martín but Andrés shook his head with tears in his eyes.  
“No cariño, you will hold on. I love you! Please tell me how I can push the stone away, I can't do it alone…"  
Andrés tried again to move the heavy stone away, but he failed again and again.  
“I'm too weak, I can't lift the stone on my own… Do you have an idea?” asked Andrés frustrated.

Martín was silent for a moment; he was searching desperately for a good solution but in his current condition, his mind only came up with crazy ideas. But those ideas were still better than waiting for the police to arrive. He remained silent for a few more seconds before he said his thoughts out loud.  
"Cut off my leg" he whispered and Andrés looked at him in disbelief. "I don't want to go to prison and that's the only way," explained Martín.  
“No, I can't do that – You could die! " said Andrés nervously.  
"Please – you don't have to blame yourself if it goes wrong – I'd rather be dead than being tortured and spending the rest of my life in jail!"  
Andrés was unable to move and breath.  
“Tear off a strip of fabric from the overall – and use it to tie off the blood in my leg – then take the knife in my right trouser pocket – and cut at my knee – there it should be the easiest to cut. "  
"I can't," sobbed Andrés, but Martín begged him to try.  
So, he tied the fabric as tightly as possible around Martín's leg and took out Martín's knife which unfortunately, was rather small and extremely dulled.  
"Martín, this will be unbearable pain," whispered Andrés fearfully.  
"Just do it," ordered Martín.  
Andrés held the knife in his trembling hands, but he was unable to cut Martín's tender skin, he almost passed out at the thought of cutting off Martín's leg.  
"Cariño, I can't do that!" Andrés cried while he dropped the knife on the floor.  
"Please" pleaded Martín, but Andrés shook his head.  
"We'll find another solution," he said, removing the fabric from Martín's leg to restore the blood flow.  
So, there was only one option left:  
"Please kill me," whispered Martín seriously.  
Andrés looked at him even more shocked, he was obviously going crazy.  
“Please Andrés – the police will be here soon – and I can't get out of here – I'd rather be dead than in jail – please fulfill me this last wish – shoot me and then get yourself to safety!"  
«Never – I could never do that! And I will not leave you alone» sobbed Andrés.

The thought that Andrés would end up in prison and be tortured because of him, because he refused to go now and leave him behind, was unbearable for Martín. Therefore, Martín set himself the goal to do whatever had to be done, so that Andrés wouldn’t get caught. As long as Martín was still alive, Andrés was not going to leave; if Martín were dead, Andrés could finally leave and go to the boat. So, Martín new exactly what he had to do.

"Then at least promise me – that if I should die in the next few minutes – and the police isn’t here yet – that you will go to safety _immediately_ – that you will go to the boat – that you do everything to avoid being caught – that you will carry out our wonderful plan for the gold heist – and that you will not just throw your life away – swear!"  
"I can't live a second without you," cried Andrés.  
“Please Andrés – it is my only wish – swear!"  
"I swear," Andrés whispered while he was crying relentlessly.  
"I love you! Will you love me forever – no matter what happens in the next few minutes?» asked Martín with a sad look on his face. He was also crying, and he knew that the next thing he was about to do would be extremely painful for Andrés – a shock – but it was the only way to bring Andrés to safety.  
"I will love you forever, no matter what!" said Andrés, extremely worried because he couldn’t read the expression on Martín’s face.  
That was all Martín had to hear before putting his plan into action. He was sure that Andrés would never break his promise, that he loved him and that he would understand one day, that he had done this out of love. ‘Time would heal all wounds’ he thought, as he was looking at his watch that Andrés had given to him; _For my soul mate. My love. Not even time can separate us._

"Kiss?" he asked and Andrés immediately leaned over him and kissed him tenderly. Martín kissed back as passionately as if it were his last kiss. Martín put his right hand on Andrés left side and with one swift movement he pulled Andrés revolver from the holster. He knew that this was the only solution in which neither of them would end up in prison; because he would be dead and Andrés had promised that he would leave immediately, as soon as he was dead.

Martín held the revolver to his own head and looked into Andrés shocked eyes.

 _‘You will be free – I love you – time will bring us back together,’_ he thought, before he slowly pulled the trigger.

///////

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ouch, I’m sorry? But there is no need to panic! The next chapter will explain everything. 🙏  
> I would really appreciate your feedback; your comment would make my day! 💝


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spontaneously decided to split the last chapter in two. That's why I'm uploading this short chapter now, but I will upload the final and much longer part soon. I hope you like it!

Martín closed his eyes.

///

_click_

///

Even though he pulled the trigger all the way down, no shot was fired.  
Martín opened his eyes in confusion and stared into Andrés shocked eyes.

Suddenly, he understood why he wasn't dead yet. In his hand, he held the revolver that Tokyo had used to play Russian roulette. After Andrés had taken the revolver from her, he apparently hadn't refilled it with bullets. So, there was only one bullet left in one of the six chambers of the revolver and obviously, the previous chamber was empty.

Just as Martín was considering to quickly pull the trigger several times, Andrés awoke from his state of paralyzing shock and he quickly knocked the gun out of his hand.

He stared at him in horror as he slowly realized what had just happened; that Martín was about to shoot himself in front of his eyes. Andrés didn't know what to do; somehow, he felt betrayed and his heart was aching.

"How can you do this to me?" he whispered in disbelief as his eyes slowly filled with tears.

"I-I-I" stuttered Martín, but he didn't know what to say.

Andrés could no longer think clearly; he slapped Martín hard in the face to bring him back to his senses. Martín's cheek burned as if small needles pierced it but he felt no pain; he was shocked, he didn’t expect Andrés to hit him.

Andrés cried relentlessly and he immediately regretted that he had slapped Martín, but he could no longer control his actions. So, he got up quickly before he would do another stupid thing. He just cursed loudly, not believing how much luck he had, that Martín wasn’t dead yet.

“Fuck – Why? – Why did you do that?" he asked reproachfully as he walked desperately across the room. Martín had to admit that blowing off your head in front of your lover, probably wasn’t the best idea. 

"I'm sorry – I just wanted to save you!" he sobbed devastated.

"No! I just can't believe it! " Andrés held his trembling hands to his head, nervously running them through his hair; he just couldn't process what had almost happened. The disturbing images just wouldn't leave his mind; Martín, how he shot a bullet through his head, how the blood splashed on his own face and how he held a dead body – his dear Martín – in his arms. The thought that those images almost were the bitter reality, made him sick and go completely crazy. 

"It is pure luck that you are not dead yet!" shouted Andrés, he was trembling all over.  
He had thought that the incident at the monastery would be the worst moment in his life – ever – but that moment right now was much worse, even more shocking and disturbing; it was a real nightmare.

He knew it was not the right time to be angry with Martín because the police were only a few meters away, and if he didn't find a good solution immediately, they would both end up dead or in jail. But he just couldn't pull himself together, he was too shocked.

"I'm so sorry, please forgive me!" Martín kept begging. Andrés screamed in despair and cursed loudly; he had given up all hope.  
Because of the tears in his eyes, he couldn’t see clearly anymore and he stumbled over a large metal pole that had come loose from the tunnel.

"Fucking stupid pole" cursed Andrés. He didn't even try to get up, he just stayed laying on the cold floor, crying, because their situation was _hopeless_ anyway.

And even though Martín was full of morphine and he had lost a considerable amount of blood, his brain seemed to be functioning reasonably again for a short moment.

"Use the bar as a lever," said Martín, his voice was just a whisper.  
Andrés jumped up immediately, ashamed that he hadn't come up with that idea right away. All his anger was gone instantly and he had hope again that it might work.  
"My clever engineer!" he said praising.

He freed the pole from the stone debris and walked with it to the large stone that pinched Martín's leg. He pushed the bar under the heavy stone and at the other end he pushed the pole down with all his weight. Indeed, he managed to lift the stone slightly.

Martín cried out loudly and tried with the last of his strength to pull his leg away. Everything was spinning in front of his eyes, so he closed them again. He groaned loudly, he had never felt such intense pain in his life; he really longed to finally lose consciousness because he just couldn't take it anymore.

When Andrés looked at Martín's freed leg, he winced; it looked terrible. It was blue and red, his tender skin was cut open by the sharp edges of the stone and the bone was broken in several places. He wanted to stabilize Martín's leg somehow, but unfortunately, he didn't have the time. The police were only a few inches away. So, he quickly grabbed Martín by the upper body and thighs, and carried him out of the bunker through the labyrinth of corridors.

///////

Martín didn't even notice what was happening around him, he only felt unbearable pain all over his body, he didn't even feel whether his leg was still trapped or not. But actually, he didn't care; he was sure that in the next few minutes he would die anyway. He kept his eyes closed because he was so tired and exhausted. The only thing he wanted was for Andrés to forgive him.

"Please forgive me - I'm sorry," he whispered over and over again, like a mantra.

Andrés was breathing heavily because he was walking through the corridors as fast as he could, but he barely had the strength to carry Martín.

"Shhh, everything is fine!" he said, trying to calm Martín down. After turning left and right several times, they finally reached the exit.  
They arrived in a dark storage room where a getaway car was waiting for them. He put Martín gently in the car and kissed his forehead affectionately before he closed the door and sat on the other side behind the wheel.

He started the engine and drove towards the harbor, hoping that the others hadn't left yet and that Martín was still alive by then. Martín was breathing heavily, whimpering loudly; his whole body was trembling from pain. As he leaned his head against the car window, because he was too weak to sit upright, the cold window numbed the stinging pain in his head a little bit.

"Calm down, just concentrate on breathing: in – and out." Andrés took a few deep breaths, but Martín didn’t participate because he was almost unconscious; everything was blurry and his body felt like it was floating.

"Sorry" was the only understandable thing that sometimes left his lips.

“Don't worry, I've forgiven you – I'm so sorry that all of this happened, it's all my fault,” sobbed Andrés while he took Martín's hand.

His hand was ice cold, his whole skin was pale. As he looked over to Martín, he realized that the gunshot wound was bleeding again because the bandage had slipped while he carried him to the car. Blood flowed slowly down the car seat, forming a pool of blood at his feet. He tightened the grip around Martin's hand and pressed it firmly to the bleeding wound. Martín opened his eyes in shock, crying out loudly.

"Cariño, I'm sorry, but you have to press on here strongly," said Andrés worriedly. He gently stroked Martin's cheek to encourage him.

"I can't," he muttered before he closed his eyes again.

“Martín, please hold on, we’re almost there,” said Andrés, while he pressed his own hand against Martín’s bleeding wound. He could feel the warm, sticky blood splashing against the palm of his hand.  
“You have to stay awake, do you understand?” asked Andrés desperately. Martín nodded slightly, slowly turning his head to Andrés side.

“I love you," whispered Andrés, as he gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek that was still slightly reddish from his slap; he felt terrible that he had hit him.

"Talk to me, so you'll stay awake," said Andrés, shaking his shoulder lightly. It would still take them around two minutes to get to the port. 

"I - love - you," muttered Martín with his last remaining strength, barely understandable. His upper body slowly fell on Andrés side, he leaned his head on Andrés shoulder. Andrés had great difficulties steering the car in this position and putting pressure on Martin's wound at the same time, but he didn't want to push Martín away; he craved for his closeness.

"I love you too!” cried Andrés, shocked about how exhausting it was for Martín to speak.  
“Okay, you better stop talking to save energy. Just keep breathing» said Andrés, while Martín made some incomprehensible sounds. Andrés increased the pressure on the wound, fearing that every breath would be Martín’s last.

"Are you still awake?" Andrés asked a moment later and Martín nodded slightly. His moans and whimpers got quieter and quieter. Andrés could feel how every passing second, life slowly escaped from Martín's body.

Andrés asked the same question again, when the harbor was finally in sight. But Martin didn't respond; he was already unconscious.

///////

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think of the story? Do you like it? I would really appreciate your comment! 🙏


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, I don’t know what I did, but some more ideas popped up in my head… so, there will be another chapter (but the fourth chapter will definitely be the last one).  
> I hope you don’t mind. Enjoy!

At a remote port, the team was nervously waiting for the arrival of Berlin and Palermo. They stood on the deck of a large fishing boat and stared into the distance; only the crashing of the waves and their tensed breathing could be heard.

"Professor, we have to go!" Nairobi broke the oppressive silence.

"We can't go without Berlin and Palermo, they'll come soon," said the Professor, hoping that his words were true.

Rio was staring at his watch. "We've been waiting for half an hour," he whispered.

"We can't wait any longer, or we'll all end up in prison!" said Denver nervously.

"We'll wait," said the Professor through gritted teeth, holding on tightly to the ship's rail.

"No! They are both probably dead! I'll let the captain know that we can go," shouted Tokyo angrily. She was the only one who dared to say out loud what everyone was thinking.

"No, please!" the Professor begged because he sensed that the whole team silently agreed with Tokyo.

“I’m really sorry Professor, but they sacrificed themselves for the team. So, we better don’t get caught! " said Nairobi, while she put a comforting hand on the Professor’s shoulder.

Just as Tokyo was on her way to the captain, they heard a car approaching through the narrow forest path.

"Somebody is coming, quickly get your weapons ready," ordered Helsinki. They pulled out their guns and pointed them at the rapidly approaching car.

"Don’t shoot! It's Berlin and Palermo," shouted the Professor, as he exhaled with relief. He was infinitely happy that the two had made it out of the bank alive.

///////

"Help" shouted Berlin desperately as he got out of the car. He had parked the car as close as possible to the ship. Sergio's heart stopped for a moment when he saw Andrés bloodstained hands. 

"What happened? We almost left without you!" shouted the Professor worriedly, while the whole team was running to the car.

„Palermo got shot and the bullet is still inside him, so prepare everything for the operation. He has lost a lot of blood and a huge stone smashed his left leg," Berlin said quickly. He pulled Palermo out of the car and pressed his hands as tight as possible to the still bleeding wound. Helsinki carried Palermo onto the ship while Berlin was still putting pressure on the wound.

Helsinki put him gently on the table in the emergency room, which was on the lower floor of the ship.  
"He's still breathing and has a light pulse," said Helsinki, "but we have to stabilize him immediately; attach blood and get everything ready for the operation! We can take care of the leg later."

Fortunately, the professor had set up an emergency room on the boat; blood reserves and the necessary equipment and medications were available. He had also taught the whole team how to remove a bullet and they were a well-rehearsed team. Everyone took their position and did exactly what they had practiced several times in Toledo; only that this time it was serious and a matter of life and death.

After the bullet was successfully removed and the wound sutured without any further complications, a splint was placed around Palermo's leg. A specialist would be needed to take care of the shattered leg later, as the team lacked the required knowledge to fix such a complicated fracture.  
Palermo was gently carried to the nearest bed so that he could get a few hours of restful sleep.

///////

"We have reached international waters," announced the Professor later that evening, and the whole team burst out cheering; all the tension was gone in a second. Everyone celebrated with joy, drinking and dancing wildly the entire night.  
Only Andrés was not in a party mood; he sat next to Martín's bed and gently caressed his hand. His heart ached as he stared at the pale, almost lifeless body in front of him.  
Again, Martín was badly injured. Again, he almost died and again, it was Andrés' fault.

"I'm so sorry, cariño," Andrés whispered over and over with tears in his eyes. He brought Martín's hand to his lips and distributed hot kisses on every single finger.

Andrés was still trembling all over, he just couldn't believe how much luck he had that Martín didn’t die. The disturbing images just wouldn't leave his head. If Martín had died, he would never have been able to forgive himself. Originally, Martín didn't want to participate in Sergio’s heist; he just wanted to spend a few quiet and nice months with Andrés, maybe travel a little bit, get to know each other better as lovers and grow even closer together.  
But Andrés had decided to help Sergio fulfill his childhood dream, and of course, Martín had followed him. Andrés felt as if he had let Martín down and as if he had simply not taken care of him well enough. He had promised Martín that nothing would go wrong, but he failed to keep his promise and felt incredibly guilty about it. He should have sent him along with the others through the normal tunnel, or at least he should have checked whether Martín was wearing a bulletproof vest; then none of this would have happened. But he had failed all along the line, and because of his mistakes, Martín had to endure so much suffering and unbearable pain.

Andrés lay down next to Martín and cuddled their bodies close together. He put his hand gently on Martín's chest and drew small circles on his skin. He could slightly feel Martín's heartbeat under his fingertips. The slow, steady rhythm calmed him down a little; it assured him that Martín was still alive. He pushed his head deeply into Martín's hair, spreading sweet kisses in his hair until he fell asleep.

///////

Andrés didn’t sleep well. The events of the escape haunted him in his dream; only this time the shot from the revolver was fired. Martín’s head snapped back, blood and brain matter splashed against Andrés face.  
He woke up shocked, breathing heavily, crying. The reverberation of his scream could still be heard in the room. It took him a moment until he realized that it was just a nightmare, that Martín was laying besides him and that he was alive. But he just couldn’t stop crying. He tried desperately to stay awake, because he knew that otherwise he would be haunted by such horrible nightmares again.

Early in the morning, Sergio entered the room with a tray full of breakfast.  
Andrés looked terrible; he had big circles under his eyes and he looked totally exhausted, as if he hadn't slept in days.

"How are you?" Sergio asked worried, while he put the tray down.

"Not good," answered Andrés honestly. Martín and Sergio were the only two people he wasn't ashamed of showing weakness in front of.

Sergio nodded guiltily.  
He offered him a sleeping pill because it was obvious that Andrés was plagued by nightmares. But Andrés shook his head and rubbed his eyes wearily. "I want to be here when Martín wakes up," he said.

Sergio nodded again.  
"Do you want to talk?" Sergio sat down on a chair next to the bed.

Andrés bit his lip hard, tears were already forming in his eyes.  
"I can't," he cried.

"It's okay, everything will be fine Andrés!" He grabbed Andrés hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze. They sat in silence until Andrés had calmed down a bit.

"I brought you breakfast, please eat something," he handed Andrés the tray. Andrés poked at the scrambled eggs with his fork, but didn't eat anything because he wasn't hungry at all.

“Thank you, for managing the heist so well – and – I am very sorry for what happened to Martín.” Sergio looked down, ashamed; he too was plagued by severe guilt.

"I'm glad that your plan worked out and I'm very proud of you," said Andrés, lifting Sergio's head to look him in the eyes. He knew how important this heist was for his brother, and that it wasn’t his fault that Martín got injured. „Sergio – you are very important to me, but you have to know that I will never again put your plans above mine. Martín is the love of my life and I can never risk losing him again - I just hope that he gets better soon," said Andrés with a trembling voice.

"Me too," sniveled Sergio. “I'll get the best doctors for him. As soon as we get ashore, he can be operated on,” he promised. “His leg really doesn't look good," said Sergio, taking another look at Martín’s leg.

Andrés nodded with a sad look. Martín's entire shin was blue and broken in several places. It looked terrible and painful; it would certainly take a long time to heal.

Martín groaned quietly and Andrés put his hand gently on Martín’s forehead. Only now did he notice that Martín’s skin was glowing with heat. His sweaty hair stuck to his forehead and sweat ran down his whole body.

"Shit, he has a high fever," said Andrés worriedly.

Sergio also put his hand on Martín's forehead and immediately pulled it away, as if he had burned himself. “Fuck, his wound is probably infected, I'll give him antibiotics. Quickly get cold towels and place them on his body to cool him down," ordered Sergio, while he was rummaging through the medicine cupboard. Andrés got up immediately and prepared the cold towels.

Martín groaned louder and louder, his pain seemed to be getting stronger and more unbearable.  
"Martín, darling, wake up," said Andrés as he spread the cold towels over Martín's body.

Martín opened his eyes heavily and stared at Andrés with glassy eyes. He was shivering all over.  
"An – drés, cold," he whimpered.

"I'm here, everything will be fine, cariño " said Andrés as he gently caressed his cheek. Sergio injected Martín with the antibiotic and increased the dose of the pain reliever.

"The pain should be less soon," said Andrés as he wiped the sweat from Martín's forehead with a cold towel.

Martín saw everything blurred, he didn't know where he was. He closed his eyes again, moaning loudly and panting heavily.  
"Are we dead?" Martín whispered, frightened.

"No, we are still alive, but you were badly injured," said Andrés while gently stroking his hair. "I was very worried about you."

"Mhhh," was the only reaction Martín was capable of at the moment.

"Sleep a little and rest, cariño, I love you," said Andrés, pressing a tender kiss on his cheek.

///////

When they got ashore, Martín was operated on by a team of specialists who had flown there especially for him. The operation was extremely complicated, but the doctors still managed to save the leg. If there were no further complications, Martín could even walk again at some point; but of course, it would take a lot of patience, time, and hard work.

After the operation, Martín was transported to their new house on the Argentine east coast. In the first two days, Martín was completely exhausted and he was glad that he could just lie in his bed. Most of the time, he felt completely high from the many medications the doctors had given him.

On the third day he felt a lot better, some medications were slowly withdrawn and he was able to think clearly again. Martín wanted to move, he wanted to dance and go out because he was a person who normally couldn't stand still for a second; but to his displeasure, he had to stay in bed for another week. He was not allowed to move too much because otherwise, there was a risk that the suture of his gunshot wound would open or the bones in his leg would shift.

He enjoyed it when Andrés snuggled up next to him in bed, but otherwise he was very bored. Not even watching television or reading books cheered him up. He begged Andrés to help him out of bed, but Andrés insisted that Martín stayed in bed and followed the doctor's instructions. Andrés was really strict but he lovingly took care of Martín and tried everything to make him feel better. Martín got easily exhausted, but he didn't want to admit to himself that he wasn't fit yet.

Nevertheless, it was evident that Martín was getting better every day and regaining his strength.  
While at the beginning he only had energy for short kisses and was completely out of breath after a few seconds, his kisses became more passionate and longer day by day and his sexual desire also grew.

As Andrés leaned over Martín one afternoon and kissed him affectionately, Martín slowly slipped his hand into Andrés pants. But Andrés gently grabbed his hand and stopped him.

"What are you up to?" Andrés laughed against his lips.

"Andrés please, kissing is not enough - I want more ..." Martín whimpered longingly.

„No, unfortunately that will only be possible in a few days. The doctor said you shouldn't do any exhausting activities for a week – Sex is clearly an exhausting activity," Andrés said while winking at him.

"But - that's not fair, I'm in top shape - I can prove it to you," said Martín, trying again to put his hand around Andrés cock - but Andrés stopped him again.

"Cariño, I want it too – but your wounds have to heal first, I'm sorry," said Andrés while caressing his cheek soothingly.

"Please" begged Martín with his sugar-sweet eyes and Andrés was about to give in to Martín's wish. But he really shouldn't give in to his own desire; so, he averted his gaze and stood up.

"You really don't make it easy for me, but it is better if we wait a few more days," said Andrés.

Martín groaned in disappointment and swore loudly.

"I'll take a quick shower; I'll be back in five minutes ... Do you need anything?" Andrés asked as he got a towel from the closet.

"Sex" was Martín's sassy answer.

"Have a little patience, honey!" Andrés laughed and sent him a kiss through the air.

"Then at least take off your clothes here! I'll still be able to look, or is that too strenuous for me?" he asked offended.

Andrés laughed again and gave him a mischievous grin, before he very slowly undid the buttons of his shirt and let the fabric slowly fall to the floor. Then he took off his pants and underpants and turned once in a circle before going into the bathroom; after all, he didn't want to arouse Martín too much.  
Anyway, that didn't quite work. Martín has been horny all day and the sight of Andrés naked body was enough to make him hard. And because he knew that Andrés wouldn't help him out, he put his own hand around his dick and slowly stroked it up and down, while he thought about what he would like to do with Andrés in the shower right now.

Martín was breathing heavily as he stroked his cock up and down faster and faster. He wasn't finished when Andrés came out of the shower with just a towel wrapped around his waist; small drops of water were still on his skin.  
„Are you allri–?" he asked worriedly, stopping mid-sentence when he suddenly understood why Martín was breathing so heavily.

"Stop, it's way too exhausting for you!" hissed Andrés; he was not at all satisfied with Martín's disobedience.

"You could give me a hand," said Martín, gasping for air, "that would be less exhausting for me." 

Of course, Martín was right about that. Andrés hesitated for a moment, but Martín’s loud moans persuaded him; he also longed to finally feel Martín's cock in his hand again. Andrés self-control was gone and he jumped on the bed while Martín had a triumphant grin on his face.

"Okay, but you don't move, you just relax and let me do it."

Martín nodded eagerly, still panting heavily.

"Breathe deeply, and if it gets too much for you, we'll stop immediately," said Andrés, before he leaned over him, giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Sure – start finally - please!" begged Martín with shining eyes.

Andrés put his hand around Martín’s dick while he distributed hot kisses on his stomach.  
Martín lifted his hips to thrust harder into Andrés’ hand, but he gently pushed him back down.

"You impatient thing! Will you lie still, or do I have to tie you up?" Andrés asked jokingly.

"Oh, I didn't even know that you like bondage games!" said Martín teasingly, gasping for breath.  
Andrés rolled his eyes, but he had to laugh.

"If you move again, I'll stop immediately," Andrés hissed seriously and Martín tried as best he could to stay still.

He moaned loudly, enjoying the touch of Andrés mouth and hands until he came with a loud scream. His vision went black for a short moment as the intense wave of orgasm caught him. His whole body was shaking and he was panting heavily.

"Are you okay?" Andrés asked worriedly as he licked Martín's cum from his fingers.

"Mhhhh" was the only answer he was able to give at that moment; he was still gasping for air.

"I told you that it was too exhausting for you, but you wouldn't believe me," said Andrés reproachfully, caressing his cheek affectionately.  
"Take a rest, cariño, so that you’ll be fit again soon." Andrés cleaned up the mess and pulled the covers over them both.  
"I have so many things for you in mind,” Andrés whispered seductively in his ear, “but you have to be a little bit patient.” He gave him another loving kiss on the cheek.

However, Martín couldn’t say anything because he was still on cloud nine.

///////

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would really appreciate your comment! Let me know what you think of the story so far!  
> Did you like the end of this chapter? Hahaha idk what I did there….


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your lovely comments and kudos! Here is the last chapter, I hope you like it! I would really appreciate your feedback because I would love to know what you think of the story!

A week later, a doctor came by to examine Martín again, giving him the permission to finally leave the bed. In the beginning, Andrés pushed him around in a wheelchair or carried him around the house. A few days later, Martín even had enough strength to move independently with crutches and Andrés was very happy about that, because he had already got severe back pain from carrying Martín up and down the stairs.

One day, Martín was sitting alone in the kitchen; Andrés had gone shopping quickly because he had noticed that he was missing an ingredient for their dinner.  
Martín was once again totally bored; he looked around the kitchen, counted the grapes in the fruit bowl and stared at the little kitchen clock, until his attention suddenly fell on the wine bottle next to the stove. It was open because Andrés had used a small amount for cooking.  
Martín thought back to his little birthday party in Toledo and he realized that the last time he had shared a bottle of wine with Andrés had been over half a year ago.  
Martín felt like having a drink again; so, he hobbled over to the stove and got the wine bottle and a wine glass. He sat down again and poured himself a large glass, swirling the red liquid a little before taking a sip, enjoying the sweet taste on his tongue.

What Martín hadn't considered, however, was that the alcohol wasn't going well with his medications, which he still had to take daily. And although he had only drunk one glass, he soon developed severe stomach cramps and felt extremely sick. He was sweating slightly and everything was spinning in front of his eyes. He firmly held on to the edge of the table so that he wouldn’t fall from his chair.

"Cariño, I'm back," shouted Andrés as he entered the house.  
When Andrés came into the kitchen, he immediately saw that Martín wasn’t feeling good because he was very pale and breathing heavily.

"Martín, what's going on?" he asked anxiously; he immediately dropped the shopping bag on the floor and ran to him.

"I feel sick" he said, before he threw up.

"Sorry," Martín whimpered ashamed, while his whole body was shaking.

"Don't worry," said Andrés, gently stroking his back. Andrés had seen the wine glass and immediately understood why Martín was feeling sick. But he didn't want to blame him because it wouldn't have changed anything and Martín was already feeling bad enough. 

Andrés carried him into their bedroom, laying him gently on the bed. Martín curled up in pain, sobbing silently. Andrés quickly cleaned up the mess in the kitchen and brought Martín a bottle of water. Martín was still whimpering, but the worst seemed to be over. Andrés lay down behind him and tenderly ran his hand through his hair and over his back. He pressed loving kisses on his neck and whispered soothing words in his ear.  
Martín calmed down a little and luckily the abdominal cramps subsided after a short time and he felt better again.

///////

Otherwise there were no other incidents. Martín’s gunshot wound had healed very well and only a small scar was still visible over his hip. For several weeks, the leg rested in a thick cast and weekly x-rays were taken to check that everything was okay.  
The bone had healed well and after the cast was finally removed, some strenuous weeks followed; the muscles in the leg had to be rebuilt and Martín was gradually able to put weight on the leg again. Martín was training hard and he was making good progress, but he was quite impatient; he just didn't want to accept that it would take months – not just a few days – for his leg to heal completely. Therefore, on some days he was in a very bad mood and depressed, but Andrés was always there for him. Andrés had spoiled him very much over the last few months and read every single wish from his lips. He always motivated him and cheered him up when he was in a bad mood.

Thanks to Andrés constant support, it took him only a few more weeks until he was able to walk with a cane instead of crutches. Martín was so infinitely happy that he could finally walk again and that the hard work had paid off. Although he was still limping badly and walking very slowly, it was a great progress and success.

He knew that he was not an easy patient, but Andrés had never complained, but always helped in a friendly and loving way. So, he wanted to spoil Andrés on his birthday and thank him for his generous help; he had reserved a table for two at Andrés favorite restaurant and invited him to dinner.  
They put on their finest suits, looking like gods who have come to earth for a short visit. Martín specially had put on his tightest pants that accentuated his ass perfectly.

"You look stunning," said Martín, when Andrés was all dressed. Andrés walked to Martín who was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at him with shining eyes.

"You look gorgeous too," said Andrés, before leaning down and kissing him affectionately. Martín pulled Andrés onto the bed and kissed him passionately; Andrés looked so hot in that suit that he wanted to tear it off him right away.

"We have to go," said Andrés, laughing against his lips.

“We can also postpone the dinner,” Martín whispered seductively before he eagerly kissed him again.

"No, we still have enough time after dinner to continue this," said Andrés with a wink and gave him a hand to get up.

Martín got up slowly and immediately pressed his lips against Andrés’ again. Andrés held him tightly by the waist and pressed their bodies close together, his other hand rested on Martín’s butt; Martín grinned contentedly against his lips.

"It’s the most wonderful birthday present ever, that you are here with me," said Andrés, straightening Martín’s bow tie before giving him another quick kiss on the lips.

///////

Martín held his cane in one hand, the other arm was hooked into Andrés arm, supporting him additionally. After they had climbed the stairs to the restaurant and sat down, they enjoyed their wonderful dinner.  
When they had finished dessert, Martín looked at Andrés with sparkling eyes.  
"I have a present for you," he said excitedly. “It's also a thank you for looking after me so well for the past few months. I couldn't have asked for a better and sexier nurse,” he added with a wink.

"Thank you," said Andrés while giving him a loving smile.

Andrés opened the present which contained a gold bracelet with the following engraved on it:

_amor vincit omnia – in omne tempus_

“No gift in this world could ever express how much I love you and how grateful I am to have you; my love for you is eternal. And it's true that love conquers all; even though I've suffered a lot in the last few months, a tender smile, a gentle touch or a short kiss from you was enough to forget all the pain. And I am so grateful that you are by my side, because- " Martín cleared his throat and he needed a brief moment before he could continue, "because otherwise I wouldn't be sitting here today."  
Andrés took his hand, tears already shimmering in his eyes; the horrible thought of Martín's death haunted him to this day and it was just unbearable.  
„The bracelet is made of gold from the Bank of Spain and it should remind you of our wonderful plan and our indestructible bond of love. But it’s okay, if we never carry out the plan, because the most precious thing in this entire world is already sitting across from me. I love you more than anything, you are the most important person in my life!"

A tear was slowly running down Andrés’ cheek because he was so touched by Martín's words.  
"I love you too," he said, putting his hand on Martín's neck and pulling him over for a loving kiss.

The whole romantic atmosphere was destroyed by three tourists who walked past their table towards the exit.  
"Bah, it's so disgusting how these fagots kiss" said one.  
"That should be forbidden," they heard another say.  
"Disgusting!"

Andrés whole body tensed and he snorted loudly in anger. Andrés parted from Martín to follow the men outside, but Martín grabbed his wrist.

"Cariño, please stay, just don't listen," he pleaded. Martín was used to such terrible insults; he had heard far worse and it wasn’t worth a fight.

"No! These homophobic pigs deserve a beating. I will not allow people to offend us like that! You stay here, I'll be right back,” hissed Andrés; he got up, freed his hand from Martín’s tight grip and hurried outside.

Martín was worried and wanted to follow him, but he knew that it would take him forever to go down the stairs alone and that he wouldn’t be of much help to Andrés anyway. So, he waited at the table, hoping that nothing would happen to him.

Even though he waited only a few minutes, it felt like hours.  
When Andrés finally came back to the restaurant, he held a handkerchief against his bleeding nose.

"Shit, are you okay?" asked Martín worried.

Andrés sat down next to him and nodded, groaning quietly.  
“Yeah, I got these assholes down. You should have heard the last one begging for forgiveness before I knocked him out."  
Andrés laughed contentedly and gave Martín a triumphant smile. "But unfortunately, one gave me a slap in the face," said Andrés, while he crumpled up the blood-soaked handkerchief and held a fresh cloth against his nose.

“Fuck, your nose looks broken… Andrés you should have stayed here,” said Martín while examining Andrés nose. "Does it hurt?"

“It's okay, don't worry. I had to do it – and I don't regret it either."

Martín gently ran his fingers over Andrés’ bleeding knuckles and sighed. He knew that Andrés had his pride, and anyone who hurt him got punished.  
“I think we should go; some people are already looking weird and we shouldn’t get in trouble with the police,” whispered Martín.

So, they paid for their food quickly and left the restaurant.  
After getting into a taxi, Andrés leaned his head on Martín's shoulder; his nose ached and he had a severe headache.  
“It really hurts, doesn't it?” Martín asked, although he already knew the answer.

Andrés stayed silent and Martín gently caressed his back. When they got home, they undressed and went to bed. Martín handed him a glass of water and a painkiller. He had actually planned something else for the night, but he understood that Andrés wasn't really in the mood for it. Instead, Andrés put his head on Martín’s chest and Martín gently ran his fingers through his hair, massaging his head slightly so that the headache would hopefully vanish soon.

"You are my hero!" said Martín, as he pressed a tender kiss into his hair and Andrés laughed softly, before they both fell asleep.

///////

When Martín woke up that morning, Andrés was still soundly asleep. It was a rare sight, because Andrés was usually awake before him. He didn't want to wake him up because he looked so cute and because of his probably broken nose, he should rest a little longer.

After watching Andrés sleep for a while, Martín got up slowly and got dressed. He wanted to go down to the kitchen to prepare Andrés a delicious breakfast; Andrés had always made him breakfast in the last few months, now it was his turn.  
The only problem was that he had to walk down the long stairs from the upper to the lower floor by himself, which he had never done before without Andrés help. So, he firmly held on to the banister and walked very slowly, step by step.

It was very difficult and exhausting; his injured leg was already trembling slightly. When he was about halfway down the stairs, his concentration dropped for a moment and he suddenly slipped; he fell down the stairs, screaming loudly as his body hit the hard steps. His whole body, his ribs and arms and especially his leg ached. At least he hadn't hit his head hard.  
He was lying at the end of the stairs, unable to get up on his own, and he was ashamed of his weakness. Everything hurt him, as if a herd of wild animals had trampled over him, and Andrés was the only one who could help him out of this miserable situation.

"Andrés!" he shouted loudly with a whimper, hoping that Andrés would hear him.  
And a few seconds later, he heard hurrying footsteps approaching.

"Martín!" he said completely shocked, when he saw him lying on the ground.  
"What happened?" he asked worried, descending the stairs.

"I fell down the stairs – I wanted to make breakfast for you as a surprise,” said Martín tearfully.

“You know that you can't go down the stairs alone… What were you thinking?” Andrés asked frustrated.

"I'm sorry," sobbed Martín. "I'm sorry that I always do everything wrong and that I am such a burden for you." Martín cried relentlessly.

“Oh no my darling, I didn't mean it like that, I was just worried.” He pressed a kiss against his cheek. “You’re not a burden to me, do you hear? I love you!” Andrés slowly helped him up. Martín cried softly and Andrés just held him tightly in his arms.

"How are you feeling?" Andrés asked as soon as Martín had calmed down a bit.

"Not good," answered Martín honestly.

Andrés helped him to the nearest sofa, pressing a kiss into his hair. He put an ointment on the bruises on Martín's arms and ribs and brought him breakfast.

"Is everything okay with your leg?" asked Andrés anxiously as he looked at it, but he couldn't see anything unusual.

Martín nodded, although his leg hurt unbearably. But he didn't want Andrés to worry about him unnecessarily; he would take a painkiller later and then everything would be fine again.

///////

Since the fall, Martín's pain in his leg got worse every day. However, he didn’t want to show any weakness in front of Andrés or worry him, which is why he put more and more stress on his leg and sometimes even walked without a cane. So that Andrés didn't notice his pain, he took twice the amount of painkillers, but even this didn't seem to help at some point.  
Before the fall, he sometimes took one pill and on good days even none at all. Now he took one almost every hour, sometimes even two. He couldn't go long without it and the shocking thing was, that Martín himself hadn't even noticed that he had become addicted to the opioids. Some nights he had difficulties sleeping and during the day he was often nauseous and in an extremely bad mood.

Andrés noticed Martín's mood swings early, but their cause only a few weeks later because Martín simply didn't want to tell him what was going on. One afternoon, Andrés went into the bathroom when Martín was taking a pill. Martín winced in surprise and Andrés raised an eyebrow.

“Are you in severe pain again, cariño? You shouldn't put too much weight on your leg yet…” said Andrés with a concerned look.

Martín stayed silent.

"Haven't you already taken a pill this morning?" Andrés asked surprised and Martín shook his head. But Andrés realized immediately that he was lying.

"Don't lie to me!" shouted Andrés, because he had enough of Martín's strange behavior; he snatched the almost empty pill box from Martín’s hand.  
"What the fuck, the pills should have lasted for the next two months!"

Martín looked at him with shocked eyes, he didn't know how to explain it to him and he started to cry.

"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Andrés reproachfully.

"I'm so sorry, I don't know," sobbed Martín.

Andrés led Martín to the bed to take a closer look at his leg; it was extremely swollen.

"Can you please give me another pill?" asked Martín, but Andrés shook his head. He realized that Martín was showing symptoms of a drug addiction and suddenly, Martín's weird behavior in the last few weeks made sense.

"You are addicted to opioids and it’s damaging your body," Andrés said seriously. He knew how dangerous the substances in painkillers could be and how quickly one could become addicted; Andrés hated himself for not taking better care of Martín and being able to prevent it.

"I'm not addicted," Martín said offended and he wanted to tear the pill box out of his hand, but Andrés quickly pulled his hand away.

"Then prove it to me," said Andrés, knowing that incredibly difficult days would lie ahead of them.

And it wasn't long before Martín, with tears in his eyes, begged him to give him a pill.  
“Please - please Andrés - I beg you! I can't take it anymore!” he sobbed desperately.

It was incredibly difficult for Andrés to see him in this terrible state, but he had to be consistent and not give in.

Martín's next strategy was to throw off insults. Although he had taken the last pill only a few hours ago, his whole body was shaking, sweat ran down all over him and he had severe pain and withdrawal symptoms. Andrés knew that Martín didn't mean the insults seriously, that he just couldn't think clearly anymore, but it still hurt him.

“Cariño, please calm down again. I know it's hard but-"

“You don't know anything, you damn son of a bitch! If you really loved me, you would have given me a pill long ago. But I was mistaken about you!” cried Martín.

He got up from the bed and tore open all the closets and threw everything on the floor, searching for another box of pills; he went completely crazy. Andrés ran to him, wrapping his arms around him to put him back to bed, but Martín thrashed around wildly. He accidentally hit Andrés hard in the face and both stumbled back until they landed on the ground.

“Martín, I love you and you don't know how difficult it is for me to see you suffer. I would take your pain on me anytime, but unfortunately that is impossible. I know the next few hours will be horrible, but it's the best for you!" said Andrés with tears in his eyes. Martín just stayed on the ground and screamed out loud in despair, he was too weak to get up again.

"Love conquers all, remember?" Andrés asked, tears running down his cheek as he stood up. But Martín didn't perceive anything anymore; he could no longer form a clear thought. He kept pleading "please - please - please ..." until he passed out from sheer exertion.

Andrés lifted the unconscious body onto the bed and he immediately dialed their doctor's number so that he could come by as quickly as possible. His jaw still ached from Martín's firm blow, but that wasn’t important now.

About half an hour later, the doctor stood in their bedroom and examined Martín thoroughly. He gave him sedatives that were supposed to inhibit the worst withdrawal symptoms. He also examined his leg extensively and said that it was so swollen because it was under too much strain, but otherwise everything seemed fine. The leg should be cooled for the next few days and not put under any strain.

Martín slept for a long time and when he woke up, he seemed to have overcome the worst of the withdrawal symptoms, but he didn't really perceive his surroundings. Andrés took care of him and Martín was simply lying in bed almost unconscious, trembling strongly and vomiting several times. He was still feeling very bad for the next few days, but gradually he seemed to regain his senses.

"Andrés" he whispered in a weak voice as he slowly patted the empty side of the bed; he wanted Andrés to lie with him. So, Andrés walked to the bed and lay down across from him. He gave him a loving smile because he could finally see clarity in Martín's eyes again. Martín studied Andrés face and his gaze stopped on the blue bruise on his jaw.

"Which asshole did that to you?" he asked angrily, running his finger lightly over the bruise.

Andrés mouth twitched embarrassed. "Um ... don't worry."

Martín wondered who could have hurt him like that.

“Tell me, I’ll kill this piece of shit!”

Andrés opened his mouth, but no words left his lips.  
And suddenly, Martín understood.

"It was me, wasn't it?" he asked horrified, tears already running down his face.

„Shhh, you mustn't blame yourself; it was an accident – actually, it was my fault because I shouldn't have grabbed you like that." Andrés gently brushed the tears from his cheek with his thumb.

"I'm so sorry!" sobbed Martín.

"I know" said Andrés calmly, gently stroking his hair. "I'm just glad that you're finally getting better." He gave him a loving kiss on the lips.  
"I love you!" he said, before kissing him a second time.

"I love you too," whispered Martín with a hoarse voice.

///////

After this setback, the next few weeks passed calmly and as usual. The swelling in the leg and the pain had subsided and Martín was slowly able to walk again, but Andrés always made sure that he didn't overdo it and that he took a lot of breaks.  
Depending on the day, he still hobbled a lot, but it became less noticeable every passing day.

It was a week before their one-year anniversary; almost a year ago, Andrés nearly lost Martín in the monastery, half a year ago he almost lost the most important person in his life during the heist. So, it was an extremely frightful and painful year, but luckily Martín was saved twice; in the end, everything had turned out well. So, they decided to celebrate their one-year anniversary extensively and fill the day with better memories than last year's.

They lay snuggled together on the sofa, more on top of each other than next to each other, and they were watching a movie, although their attention was more on each other than on the film. They talked about what they wanted to do on their anniversary in a week.

“I'll cook something delicious for both of us! Or would you prefer to go to a restaurant?” asked Andrés, while he gently ran his hand through Martín’s hair.

"Your food always tastes best," said Martín with a smile.

"What do you want?" asked Andrés, going through all sorts of menus in his head.

"A lot of this," said Martín with a big grin, before kissing him passionately.

///////  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> It's been a while since my last Latin class, but if I’m not mistaken “amor vincit omnia – in omne tempus” can be translated as “love conquers all – in all time”.  
> I would be very happy if you leave a comment!  
> Would you be interested in another story for this series?


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